WBC president Jose Sulaiman issued the following statement from Bangkok, Thailand, on the sensational encounter of WBC bantamweight champ Hozumi Hasegawa and Mexican Fernando Montiel on April 30 in Japan, as follows:

“I’m very happy and greatly satisfied with the fight between Hasegawa and Montiel to materialize. Hasegawa, the great champ, made ten defenses to his credit and is going to receive an award from the WBC for being one of the very best world champions of 2009 . Montiel, the top and excellent Mexican champion, has been expecting to fight for the WBC belt for several years with the opportunity finally coming to him in one of the most interesting promotions in professional boxing. This fight has taken special attention by the Mexican press as well as Mexican boxing fans, and especially by the WBC. We would like to congratulate the promoter Akihiko Honda, for having signed such a good fight for the benefit of Japanese fans and also for the great revelation

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will now face the European champion Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs), probably on May 29 at the Schalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany after his proposed bout with Nicolay Valuev fell through.

Klitschko’s manager Bernd Bönte told BILD that Valuev co-promoter Don King rejected a $2.5 million offer. Sosnowski agreed to a $1 million purse and cancelled his fight with Audley Harrison, which was scheduled for April 9.

Below are the statements from each of the fighters:

Vitali Klitschko: “I am very happy to have my next fight in Germany again. The arena in Gelsenkirchen and the fans there are very special. I experienced that last year when my brother Wladimir had his fight there in front of 61,000 spectators. The atmosphere was simply electrifying. I saw Sosnowski’s fights on DVD and must admit that he is a very experienced, quick and tough opponent. He will do anything to get my belt but I promise that this is not going to happen.”

Albert Sosnowski: “A dream comes true. Because of the Harrison fight I am already in training and suddenly comes the once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight Klitschko. I want to thank him and his team to give me that opportunity which I will definitely take. For me, Klitschko is already over the hill. I know that I am the underdog for everybody, but I tell you, Klitschko will regret that he picked me. Many Polish and Germans with Polish roots live in the Gelsenkirchen area and I hope that they will support me. I will be the first Polish Heavyweight Champion of the World!”

Pound 4 Pound king Manny Pacquiao last night arrived in Dallas with his wife Jinkee for his upcoming world welterweight championship against challenger Joshua Clottey on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

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Challenger Joshua Clottey also touched down in Dallas where he will now add the finishing touches to his preparations for his bout with Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on Saturday, March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas on HBO pay-per-view.

PHOTOS BY: CHRIS FARINA / TOP RANK

Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20ko’s) took in his surroundings yesterday as he posed and chated with media at the Gaylord Texan Hotel. This will be Clottey's biggest bout throughout his career but confessed that he didnt feel any nerves on the lead up to the fight declaring “Nothing stresses me, no matter what.”

Clottey’s manager, Vinny Scolpino, believes the large crowd will not distract Clottey either. “No, I don’t think so, he is very cool, calm and the crowd doesn’t really get him nervous. You know, he’s focused, he knows what he had to do and you’ll see when he walks out, he’ll probably start dancing, everything will be good,” stated Scolpino.

Or perhaps it was all the training on the beach in Africa and in Florida that has prepared him mentally.
“This is the best I felt (before a fight) – it started when I went to Africa – I was training at the beach. I came to America, went to Florida with Lenny and my other guy – we went to the beach all the time, so I was training a lot,” explained Clottey.

Scolpino added, “Things changed up at camp, you know, as you can see he is throwing more shots and combinations, he knows he has to let his hands loose in there. They have been practicing that in camp. I think you can see it just this little pad work he is doing, it’s different than what we used to do before he trained for Cotto – so we’re happy.

Clottey is known for his toughness and his ability to take a punch, which could be the deciding factor come Saturday.

“I have a good chin, we (African fighters) take a lot of punches, but I have a good chin! I never expect myself to get in the ring to get knocked out, I never expect that, no,” Clottey expressed.
Clottey plans to use his size to handle the naturally smaller Pacquiao, but understands that size alone will not be enough.

“I am going to fight Manny Pacquiao and we’re going to see whose going to win and it’s going to be a tough fight for both of us. I will be stronger than him, because after the weigh-in I am going to eat and I am going to blow-up,” said Clottey.

Scolpino concurred, “Well, if I was him that’s what I would do, clean punch, get on the inside, just rip, he’s got to throw his hands, that’s going to be his benefit. Manny’s got quick speed, you know, but Clottey will be big when he gets in the ring, hopefully that will give us a little edge, even though everybody says being bigger isn’t the winning key and I agree. You still got to let your hands go and he’s got a defense that is impeccable so guys throw punches in all the fights we have had, Margarito, Cotto, he comes out of that ring clean. No nothing on him, no blemishes on him, which is amazing. Look at his opponents, loot at Cotto at the end of the fight, look at Clottey. Who got beat up?”

RESULTS FROM SATURDAY'S ACTION!!!

WBC super lightweight Devon Alexander (20-0, 13 KOs) captured the IBF title and retained his own title as he stopped former champion Juan Urango (22-3-1, 17 KOs) at 1:12 of round number eight at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT.

Alexander was in command from the start and seemed to land the better shots with his impressive speed. A BIG right hand from Alexander did the damage in the eighth which sent Urango to the canvas and although Urango showed courage in getting to his feet, the following flurry left Urango again on the canvas, but this time referee Benji Estedes had seen enough and called a halt to the fight.

After the fight Alexander told onlooking reporters “My coach told me to stay focused when Urango started bleeding [from the nose in the third round]. My coach said ‘Don’t stand there and get hit, His [Urango’s] punches did not hurt at all. I was surprised by that. Speed kills everything and that’s what I have.”

For the future Alexander said, “I can beat anyone: Zab, Timothy Bradley, you name it. I want to come back to St. Louis and sell out the Scottrade Center. I’m coming back to good old St. Lou with two world titles. This is very sweet.”

Urango was gracious in defeat. “I’m very happy and satisfied with my performance tonight,” he said. “Devon is a great champion and he came out and did his job. I performed well but Devon won tonight.”

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Heavyweight prospect Derric Rossy outpointed Zack Page over twelve. “Page is a crafty, veteran fighter that can take a punch, no doubt about it,” said Rossy. “He knew how to take away the space I need to land my best shots. I dropped a big right hand on him in the sixth round and had him down and almost out. I think I tried too hard for the knockout instead of just letting it come. I could have let my hands go more in the closing rounds, but, like I said, he’s a crafty guy.”

Page stated, “I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be tonight. I wasn’t in my best condition. I know that now. Rossy is a good fighter. He deserved the win tonight.”

Harrison Cuello (19-12-3, 14 KOs) won an eight round majority decision over former world champion Steve Forbes (34-8, 10 KOs)

Ryan Coyne (14-0-0-1 ND, 4 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Paul Jennette (11-3, 8 KOs) Scores of the bout were 77-75 twice and 78-74.

James Hope (5-4, 4 KOs) scored a four round unanimous decision over Andres Navarro (4-3-1, 4 KOs) Scores of the bout were all in favor of Hope 40-36.

Former world champion Wayne Braithwaite (24-4, 20 KOs) only needed one round to annihilate Adam Harris (10-3, 7 KOs)

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Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan (34-2-1, 27 KOs) scored a solid unanimous decision over Rodrigo “Gato” Guerrero (13-2-1, 9 KOs) to defend his WBC/WBA super flyweight titles at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Aqua Caliente, California.

Darchinyan displayed his amazing power and although Guerrero was competitive early he was no match for the Raging Bull. Scores were 118-110, 117-111, 120-108.

Lightweight Lenny Zappavigna (23-0, 15 KO’s) won a hard-fought 12 round unanimous decision over Fernando Angulo (22-7, 14 KO’s). scores were 116-111, 116-111, and 114-113.

Super-middleweight Sebastien Demers scored a majority decision over former three-time world champion William Joppy by 97-93, 97-93, 95-95 at the Casino de Montreal Saturday afternoon.

RESULTS FROM FRIDAY'S ACTION!!!

IBF #8 lightweight Martin Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Wilton Hilario (12-1-1, 9 KOs) on Friday night at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA. Scores from the judges were 120-106, 119-107, 119-107.

Hall of Fame fighter James "Lights Out" Toney has been pushing UFC President Dana White for a chance to show the world that a boxer can make it in the MMA ranks for months now but nothing has really happened, that was until yesterday which witnessed White agree to sign the boxing superstar to a multi fight contract and could see Toney make his octagon debut later this year.

“A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk,” said White. “He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for. Now he’s got every intention of matching that success in MMA, and I think he’s got the right attitude – let’s see if he can do it.”

King Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) has returned to Germany following the postponement of his Super Six World Boxing Classic second-round clash with Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs).

The fight has been moved back to March 27 after Dirrell injured his back in training. It will now take place at Detroit’s famous Joe Louis Arena and will air live on SHOWTIME, Saturday, March 27, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. “I am not at all concerned about the change of the date,” King Arthur said. “We had a great time in Palm Springs. I love America and I enjoyed staging my training camp in the Californian sun. Postponements happen all the time in boxing. I don’t mind when and where I will take on Dirrell – I will defeat him everywhere, even in his backyard. I am in the Super Six tournament to become a star in America and all over the world. After the KO win over Jermain Taylor, another spectacular victory over Dirrell in front of his home fans will further raise my international profile.”

Added promoter Kalle Sauerland: “Arthur showed the US fans his KO power in both hands when he dispatched of Miranda in four on his last US visit. Andre Dirrell is the next in line to find out about the King’s incredible punching power – Andre will need home comforts after King Arthur has paid a visit. But we will not talk too much – we just look forward.” Abraham, the tournament point leader, will continue his preparation in Kienbaum, 20 miles east of Berlin.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. and may be purchased at www.OlympiaEntertainment.com the Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, at all Ticketmaster locations and www.Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries from its events and complete information on the Super Six World Boxing Classic, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com.

Grammy-nominated recording artist Drake will join undefeated World Boxing Council super lightweight champion Devon Alexander “The Great” during the boxer’s walk to the ring for his world championship unification match on Saturday at Mohegan Sun that will be televised live on HBO (9:30 p.m. ET/PT) from Mohegan Sun. The event is being promoted by Don King Productions

Promoter Frank Warren today won the purse bid for WBO Interim lightweight champion Michael Katsidis’ defense against Kevin Mitchell.

Warren’s bid of $515,000 beat the only other bid of $501,000 from Katsidis’ manager Brendon Smith from Ringstar Promotions.

The clash will take place in Britain in May with the winner having to face Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez with 180 days

IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud will not face Glen Johnson on April 10 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida as scheduled.

Tavoris has had to pull out of the bout due to a hamstring injury. However Cloud has also inked a promotional contract with Don King Productions this week and will most certainly be fighting on DKP cards in the future.

The IBF has given the Cloud camp a 90-day extension to fight Johnson.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr has been suspended for 7 months and fined $10.000 for testing positive for a diuretic found during a pre fight drug test from his match up with Troy Rowland on November 14th at the MGM in Las Vegas.

Yesterday Chavez Jr appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission and although the medication was prescribed by his Doctor the fighter still took responsibility for taking the illegal drug.

The suspension was retroactive back to November 14, 2009

Freddie Roach says Manny Pacquiao will become the first man to stop Joshua Clottey inside the distance on March 13.

Roach says Pacquiao has again worked himself into phenomenal shape ahead of the March 13 showdown, and is confident of another victory.

He said: "Manny Pacquiao is in great shape. We boxed 11 rounds yesterday with four different sparring partners. He is looking really good and he's got the game plan in place. We were so sharp yesterday I almost wanted to give him a day off but Manny won't take a day off."

While Pacquiao has been pretty much perfect in rising to the top of the P4P tree during the last two years, Roach has a chilling warning for his future opponents.

"Manny is getting better all the time and he still wants to improve," he said "We are getting better at making the moves. We have watched a lot of tape on Clottey. We know his characteristics, we know his mistakes and we know his habits. I do feel that the way Manny Pacquiao is training for this fight, the game plan and how to beat Clottey is in place. I know Clottey is a big strong guy and a great fighter and we respect him and he's a real tough guy but with Manny Pacquiao I feel that he's going to overwhelm him with his speed and his combinations and I do believe he will be the first person to stop him before the 12th round."

While Pacquiao was breathtaking in his demolition of Cotto last time out, Roach does believe he can make improvements for the clash with Clottey.

"I don't want to be on the ropes as much as we were in the Cotto fight. Clottey is very effective on the ropes and will throw uppercuts from that position. We are working on not being there when he is trying to counter-punch. Clottey likes to lay on the ropes and counter when we are finished a combination, but we're not going to be there - he's not going to find us."

Pacquiao meanwhile is his usual laid-back self as he prepares to head for Texas next week.

He said: "I am good; I'm just finishing jogging and sit-ups. Training camp is good and yesterday we sparred 11 rounds then I hit the bag a couple of rounds. Everything is great. I know Clottey is taller and bigger than me. I know I can't underestimate him because his is a former world champion also."